London, July 09: Former coach Duncan Fletcher feels that middle-order batsman Kevin Pietersen and a bowling attack capable of taking 20 Australian wickets holds the key for England to regain the Ashes trophy.
”The two keys are Kevin Pietersen and picking an attack capable of taking 20 wickets,” Fletcher said. ”I wasn’t worried when Pietersen failed twice against Warwickshire- that’s the nature of the beast.
No player in the side rises to the challenge with more relish and he has the confidence to dominate anyone. Just wait and see how much Australia celebrate when they take his wicket,” Fletcher wrote in his coloumn for ‘The Guardian’.
Fletcher further writes that pace bowler Graham Onion, who was picked for the Ashes squad ahead of his Durham teammate Steve Harmison, will also provide a shot in England’s armoury.
He said the pacer should be picked in the playing XI in the place of left-arm spinner Monty Panesar. ”I know there’s talk about going in with two spinners, but I would feel more comfortable with Graham Onions ahead of Monty Panesar.
”Having watched him and talked to some of the batters who have faced him in county cricket, I believe he could play the role of a Matthew Hoggard- but with added extras,” he added.
The 51-year-old former all-rounder went to on to add that Onions can bowl long spells just like Matthew Hoggard, who played a decent role in 2005 to defeat Australia and regained the trophy. ”Hoggy used to be able to bowl almost all day and Onions can do the same. But the swing he gets is later than what Hoggard managed and he’s a few miles per hour quicker.
”I know England were looking at Ryan Sidebottom, but the worry there was that he loses his effectiveness if the ball stops swinging. Onions doesn’t have that problem because he hits the deck hard with a bowling action that comes over the top,” he added.
He also emphasised that the pacer can share the burden of Andrew Flintoff, which would give the skipper an option to use the all-rounder more sparingly. ”And if Onions plays the stock role, that frees Andrew Flintoff to attack in short bursts.
I’ve been critical in the past of Flintoff’s failure to take more than two five-wicket hauls in well over 70 Tests, but if he can harness his ability to take important wickets at vital times and be used sparingly as a shock weapon, England could be in business. ”Flintoff also has an important role to play with the bat at No 7, but he must strike a balance between being positive and being reckless,” he writes.
The former Zimbabwe skipper termed the loss Brett Lee as a huge setback for the Australian attack as the right-arm pacer brings a lot of variety with himself in the bowling attack.
”The loss of Brett Lee is huge for Australia because of the experience and balance he brings. The late swing he got against England Lions at Worcester was probably the high point of their tour so far, so his absence places a big onus on Mitchell Johnson. Fletcher feels that the ongoing five match Ashes series will be a very close one but tipped England to become ultimate winner. ”It’s going to be a tight series, and that places even more responsibility than usual on the shoulders of the two captains.
Ricky Ponting has far more experience than Strauss, but he’s still learning to cope without the stars of old. ”I tip England to win by a single Test,” he added.
—–Agencies